The present invention relates to retroviral protease inhibitors and, more particularly, relates to novel compounds, composition and method for inhibiting retroviral proteases, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease. This invention, in particular, relates to amino acid hydroxyethylamine sulfonamide protease inhibitor compounds, composition and method for inhibiting retroviral proteases, prophylactically preventing retroviral infection or the spread of a retrovirus, and treatment of a retroviral infection, e.g., an HIV infection. The subject invention also relates to processes for making such compounds as well as to intermediates useful in such processes.
During the replication cycle of retroviruses, gag and gag-pol gene transcription products are translated as proteins. These proteins are subsequently processed by a virally encoded protease (or proteinase) to yield viral enzymes and structural proteins of the virus core. Most commonly, the gag precursor proteins are processed into the core proteins and the pol precursor proteins are processed into the viral enzymes, e.g., reverse transcriptase and retroviral protease. It has been shown that correct processing of the precursor proteins by the retroviral protease is necessary for assembly of infectious virons. For example, it has been shown that frameshift mutations in the protease region of the pol gene of HIV prevents processing of the gag precursor protein. It has also been shown through site-directed mutagenesis of an aspartic acid residue in the HIV protease active site that processing of the gag precursor protein is prevented. Thus, attempts have been made to inhibit viral replication by inhibiting the action of retroviral proteases.
Retroviral protease inhibition typically involves a transition-state mimetic whereby the retroviral protease is exposed to a mimetic compound which binds (typically in a reversible manner) to the enzyme in competition with the gag and gag-pol proteins to thereby inhibit specific processing of structural proteins and the release of retroviral protease itself. In this manner, retroviral replication proteases can be effectively inhibited.
Several classes of compounds have been proposed, particularly for inhibition of proteases, such as for inhibition of HIV protease. Such compounds include hydroxyethylamine isosteres and reduced amide isosteres. See, for example, EP 0346847; EP 0342541; Roberts et al, "Rational Design of Peptide-Based Proteinase Inhibitors," Science, 248, 358 (1990); and Erickson et al, "Design Activity, and 2.8.ANG. Crystal Structure of a C.sub.2 Symmetric Inhibitor Complexed to HIV-1 Protease," Science, 249, 527 (1990). U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,041, WO 94/04491, WO 94/04492, WO 94/04493, WO 94/05639, WO 92/08701 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/294,468, filed Aug. 23, 1994, (each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) for example describe hydroxyethylamine, hydroxyethylurea or hydroxyethyl sulfonamide isostere containing retroviral protease inhibitors.
Several classes of compounds are known to be useful as inhibitors of the proteolytic enzyme renin. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,198; U.K. 2,184,730; G.B. 2,209,752; EP 0264795; G.B. 2,200,115 and U.S. SIR H725. Of these, G.B. 2,200,115, GB 2,209,752, EP 0264795, U.S. SIR H725 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,198 disclose urea-containing hydroxyethylamine renin inhibitors. EP 468641 discloses renin inhibitors and intermediates for the preparation of the inhibitors, which include sulfonamide-containing hydroxyethylamine compounds, such as 3-(t-butoxycarbonyl)amino-cyclohexyl-1-(phenylsulfonyl)amino-2(5)-butanol. G.B. 2,200,115 also discloses sulfamoyl-containing hydroxyethylamine renin inhibitors, and EP 0264795 discloses certain sulfonamide-containing hydroxyethylamine renin inhibitors. However, it is known that, although renin and HIV proteases are both classified as aspartyl proteases, compounds which are effective renin inhibitors generally are not predictive for effective HIV protease inhibition.